St. Cuthbert Equivalents?

[Havard]

Which Blackmoor deity would fill the niche of St. Cuthbert? I'm thinking Fronaeus as he is a God of justice.

Thoughts?

-Havard

[ripvanwormer]

The problem with Fronaus is that he's the god of nobility, while Saint Cuthbert is very much a commoner's deity (he manifests as a humble tinker, brown or green-robed wanderer, or "manure-covered yokel" - his places of worship are most commonly wayside shrines or small, rude chapels).

For that reason, I think a better match would be Fronaus's brother Henrin, "the protector of the meek, the humble, and the mild."

Fronaus seems more akin to Pholtus or Heironeous.

[Havard]

Thanks for your input Rip!

Henrin does indeed sound like a good replacement. I will use him instead.
Interestingly, Dave Arneson used "St. Cuth" in some of his writings, including Adventures in Fantasy. When was St. Cuthbert first used in the hobby? Does he go back to the C&C Society Setting?

-Havard

[ripvanwormer]

Thanks for your input Rip!

Henrin does indeed sound like a good replacement. I will use him instead.
Interestingly, Dave Arneson used "St. Cuth" in some of his writings, including Adventures in Fantasy. When was St. Cuthbert first used in the hobby? Does he go back to the C&C Society Setting?

-Havard

The earliest published mention was the second issue of Dragon Magazine (August 1976) , but I know he was used in Gary Gygax's home game. And of course it's the name of a real Catholic saint.

Does the Church of Thonia have actual mortal "saints" in your campaign? Cuth or Cuthbert could be the name of a revered mortal martyr or evangelist, perhaps one who worshiped Henrin in life, perhaps now serving Henrin as a titan.

[Havard]

The earliest published mention was the second issue of Dragon Magazine (August 1976) , but I know he was used in Gary Gygax's home game. And of course it's the name of a real Catholic saint.

Thanks! From what I understand, both Arneson and Gygax were very interested in medieval British history. I guess this was a major influence on Greyhawk in particular, right? The RW St. Cuthbert is associated with the monastery of Lindisfarne, site of the first known Viking Raid. Perhaps this is how St. Cuthbert entered D&D?

Wargamers seem to read history through the lenses of famous historical battles. Arneson's writings make heavy references to many British battles at least. Bannockburn, Mohacs, etc. Lindisfarne would be an obvious candidate as well.

Does the Church of Thonia have actual mortal "saints" in your campaign? Cuth or Cuthbert could be the name of a revered mortal martyr or evangelist, perhaps one who worshiped Henrin in life, perhaps now serving Henrin as a titan.

IMC I use the BECMI cosmology (as you probably know) so mortals becoming divine is the norm. I generally prefer sticking to the list of deities in the D20 Book (since there are so many of them already), but your suggestion is not a bad one.

If we are adding Saints to Blackmoor cosmology, then St. Carmichael would be another good candidate.


Going by BECMI cosmology (Immortals), perhaps the St. title is applied to Initiate Immortals rather than Titans? Both are possible of course!


-Havard